Are you making an out-of-the-box Halloween costume from scratch? If so, show it off on Inhabitots! Our annual Green Halloween costume contest hosted by Inhabitots kicks off today, and we’re on a mission to find the most creatively handmade, recycled and/or repurposed Halloween costumes made for babies , kids , pets and families . Along with all the fame that comes from entering our contest, you could also win an adorable handmade critter coat from the good folks at Little Goodall . Read on for more details about the contest, the awesome prizes, and how to enter. If you have amazingly innovative costume-making skills, here’s your chance to show the world! ENTER INHABITOTS’ GREEN HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST HERE > THE PRIZES 1st PRIZE WINNER The first prize winner, determined by our judges scoring, will have their pick of one warm, cozy, hand-made critter coat from Little Goodall . Critter hoices include: lion, wolf, fox, butterfly, owl, leopard, dinosaur, bear, robot, raccoon, bunny, and more! There are even adult-sized critter coats for you grownups who want in on the action. 2ND PLACE WINNER Judges scoring will also determine the second place will, who will receive their choice of adorable hand-made critter coat from Little Goodall . READER’S CHOICE PRIZE The costume that receives the highest number of votes on our online finalist page will win a “Reader’s Choice” prize or one critter coat from Little Goodall , so encourage your friends and family to vote! Submissions will be posted and open to public voting soon after they are received, so make sure to submit early to get the most amount of votes possible. Online voting will likely begin before Halloween. ENTER HERE!

We asked you to submit your incredible DIY costumes to our Green Halloween Costume Contest , and we were amazed with what you came up with. Now it’s time to vote for your favorite costume to win a $3000 VANMOOF Electrified bike ! We’ve narrowed down our entries to the cream of the crop, and the costume that racks up the most votes by the stroke of midnight will win our grand prize – so check out our 17 finalists and vote today ! VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE COSTUME >

Comments Off on HOW TO: Grow your own mushrooms from recycled cardboard and coffee grounds

Book lovers and coffee drinkers no doubt have an excess of cardboard and coffee grounds on their hands. But before you chuck them in the recycling bin, why not consider reusing those materials to grow mushrooms? It may sound strange at first, but nutrient-rich coffee grounds and corrugated cardboard are a match made in mushroom heaven. All you’ll need is a plastic container cleaned with rubbing alcohol and perforated with four to six quarter-inch holes; corrugated cardboard that’s been soaked in water for at least one to two days; quality mushroom spawn that can be found online; and spent coffee grounds, ideally from the day-of. Starting with the cardboard, layer the materials in the container like you would lasagna and cover each sprinkle of spawn with coffee grounds. Then, watch the magic happen! + A Piece of Rainbow The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat ? Send us a tip by following this link . Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!

Comments Off on Enter Inhabitat’s Green Halloween Costume Contest and you could win a $3000 VANMOOF electric bike

It’s that time of year again: people across the United States are eating and drinking pumpkin everything , storefronts are decked out in fake cobwebs and creepy eyeball lights, and Inhabitat is launching the best Halloween costume contest to date with a chance to win a VANMOOF electric bike valued at a whopping $3,000 . Which means the competition will be stiffer than ever. We aren’t looking for witch hats from Target, folks. We’re looking for the most innovative, thought-provoking DIY costumes made by you for you – not in some factory in China. Luckily, we have a host of brilliant past costumes to share as inspiration. So roll up your sleeves, evoke your creative ghouls, and enter Inhabitat’s 2015 Halloween Contest by October 31st, 2015 for a chance to win the world’s first intelligent electric bike complete with built-in GPS tracking. ENTER YOUR ADULT COSTUMES HERE > ENTER YOUR KIDS’ COSTUMES HERE > Read the rest of Enter Inhabitat’s Green Halloween Costume Contest and you could win a $3000 VANMOOF electric bike

Comments Off on HOW TO: Make a DIY Statue of Liberty Costume for Halloween

Lena Sekine made this majestic Lady Liberty costume for her daughter Maya last Halloween.Â Because it was a favorite in our 2010 Green Halloween Costume Contest , we thought some of you might want to check out the how-to and recreate it for your own daughter (or yourself!).Â Click ahead to find out exactly how Lena pulled it off so you can follow along or get inspired to submit your own DIY kid’s costume in the 2011 Inhabitots Green Halloween Costume Contest . READ MORE > Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: diy costumes , diy halloween costume , diy halloween costumes , green halloween , halloween costume , how to make a statute of liberty costume , statue of liberty costume , statue of liberty diy halloween costume , statue of liberty halloween costume

Comments Off on Scandinavian Scientists Develop Textile That Fixes Its Own Tears

A self-healing raincoat? It sounds like something out of a comic book, a group of Scandinavian researchers working for the EU project Safe@Sea have been developing a new type of textile coating that automatically seals tears on the surface of waterproof workwear. The goal is to create a new generation of “intelligent” clothing for professional fishermen. Working with the plastic material polyurethane, scientists have added micro-capsules containing a liquid sealant to the coating of the fabric. When the coating tears, the capsules burst and release the sealant, which hardens when it comes in contact with water and air. READ MORE > Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: eco textiles , eco-fashion , fishermen , intelligent clothing , rainwear , Safe at Sea , Safe@Sea , Technology